Bandit caught in Grove supermarket gets seven years

-after copping to robbery, gun and ammo charges

Ryan Bannister, one of the three men caught red handed during an attempt to rob The Number One Supermarket at Grove Public Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was yesterday sentenced to a total of seven years in jail after pleading guilty to armed robbery and weapons charges.

Magistrate Sunil Scarce read a joint charge to the men. It alleged that while being armed, they robbed Kayume Khan on Wednesday.

Bannister pleaded guilty, while DaSilva and Simmons denied the allegations. Bannister also faced additional charges for the unlawful possession of a revolver and the unlawful possession of six matching rounds of ammunition, to which he pleaded guilty.

As a result, Bannister was sentenced to a total of seven years in prison on all the charges. DaSilva and Simmons were remanded to prison until August 17th.

The three men were apprehended around 4.30 am on Wednesday after they allegedly attacked, robbed and bound a security guard before breaking into The Number One Supermarket, located at Lot 18 Grove Public Road, EBD.

The police, in a press release, had said that while the bandits were in the Supermarket, the 53-year-old security guard, who was relieved of his cellular phone and a bag, managed to free himself and immediately alerted neighbours, who summoned the police.

The lawmen responded and captured the perpetrators inside the business premises. A .38 revolver with six live matching rounds and a quantity of phone cards and a sum of cash were found in their possession.